While I am not painting pictures, I have decided at last to design a new model-kit of Wells Cathedral. I made one during the 1990s but with the passage of time, the art-work has not withstood the test of time and looks a little clumsy. However, my biggest regret over the old model is that I did a very poor job of the west facade - the crowning glory of Wells Cathedral. With this new one, I have taken all the proportions from photographic sources by selecting distant shots of the building for maximum accuracy and then I have test built the pieces as you can see here. Getting a reliable table of dimensions for Wells was difficult but everyone seems to agree that the central tower is 180 feet high and that the west facade is 147 feet across and so it is from those measurements that I have worked out the rest.

I have now added the Central Tower, Nave, Nave Aisles and West Towers. Please note: those of you who are familiar with the West Front of wells Cathedral may be wondering why the two towers seem to be so thin. Once the chunky buttresses have been added, the profile will be bang on: The tricky thing will be to design an easy-to-construct yet complex west screen.

Here are some drawings which show the development of my design for the west Facade of the Wells Cathedral model-kit. It has been one of the most difficult to do. The main problem has been to faithfully convey the proportions of the architectural composition whilst keeping the model easy to make. Anyway, I have done it now and it is certainly a big improvement on the model from the 1990s. The book is one I have had for years and is generally regarded as a classic. My copy here has virtually fallen to bits through being carted around so much, so my brother bought me a new edition.